A Trenton landmark since 1964: Weekend fire claims Lakeview Motel

Lakeview Motel Fire Trenton 5-20-17
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A Trenton landmark since 1964 was destroyed by a major fire late Saturday when firefighters received the alarm at approximately 5 o’clock in the afternoon.

The blaze destroyed the 40-room building housing the Lakeview Motel on Highway 6 East in Trenton.  Fire Chief Brandon Gibler said the cause is under investigation by the State Fire Marshal’s office.

The portion which burned was in a separate building east of the restaurant.

A stiff breeze was blowing towards the northeast, away from the restaurant, which kept the restaurant from catching fire and a smaller section of the motel building located just to the north of the section that burned.

Heavy black smoke blew from the fire into a residential area to the east and northeast causing an estimated five of those residences to be evacuated east of Lake Trenton Drive which was closed and re-opened around Noon on Sunday.

The initial report said the blaze was in the laundry room area which quickly spread throughout the structure.

Fire Chief Gibler said the original roof was still in place when the building was constructed. Years ago, there were flat roofs on those buildings and trusses were placed on the original roof and covered with metal roofing.

Gibler said he was told the original roof consisted of asphalt, tar, and foam and anytime firefighters deal with multiple roofs, Gibler said it creates problems. Also metal roofs present, he said, a difficult set of circumstances, for firefighters. The metal roofs, he noted, are very resilient and hold the heat in not allowing the fire to vent like conventional roofs. As the structure deteriorates, the metal roofing falls down covering the debris below making it difficult to get to the fire.

Each time firefighters knocked the fire down, moving to another section, the previous section would blaze back up.

There reportedly were three to five people staying at the motel and everyone was evacuated safely.

The Trenton and Chillicothe fire departments each had a tower truck that tackled the blaze from above with the Trenton tower truck spending considerable time spraying water into the laundry and storage areas at the rear of the building. The Chillicothe tower truck spent considerable time towards the front of the structure.

Chief Brandon Gibler, in an email early Sunday, reported in all, 48 Firefighters from the City of Trenton, the Grundy County Rural Fire Protection District, Galt, Laredo, Chillicothe, Spickard, and Jamesport battled the blaze for more than eight hours.

Apparatus from Galt, Laredo, and Chillicothe were instrumental in establishing a viable water supply and protecting adjacent commercial and residential structures as the fire was brought under control.

Also assisting on scene were personnel from the Trenton Police Department, The Grundy County Sheriff’s Office and Grundy County EMS.

The Missouri State Fire Marshal’s office was notified, and the cause of the fire is investigation. The Trenton Fire Dept remained on scene throughout the night putting out hot spots.

McDonald’s and Subway of Trenton provided donations of food to feed emergency crews working the fire.

KTTN was on the scene for approximately four hours providing updates via our Facebook page. You may see additional photos and videos of the fire there.

 

Lakeview Motel Fire Trenton 5-20-17
Lakeview Motel Fire Trenton 5-20-17
Lakeview Motel Fire Trenton 5-20-17
Lakeview Motel Fire Trenton 5-20-17
Lakeview Motel Fire Trenton 5-20-17
Lakeview Motel Fire Trenton 5-20-17
Lakeview Motel Fire Trenton 5-20-17
Lakeview Motel Fire Trenton 5-20-17

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